The opposition over the maritime border agreement with Lebanon has mainly been divided among political lines but there has been a number of exceptions, including Haaretz reporter Nir Guntz, who is firmly in the far-left camp.

Guntz penned an article slamming the controversial deal, stating: “Signing a maritime border deal with Lebanon will not prevent Hezbollah from taking any action against Israel nor will it stop its arming. In the third Lebanon war, if it breaks out, Hezbollah will not refrain from attacking the Karish gas rig because of the deal.”

Guntz added that “if the attorney-general authorizes the government to sign the agreement, Nasrallah will conclude that she received reports indicating Israel is afraid of Hezbollah and how afraid it is.”

The Haaretz reporter also denied claims that the agreement is good for Israel since it forces Lebanon to acknowledge the existence of the Jewish state, elaborating that “the fact that Lebanon and Israel will sign an agreement is not normalization. It simply means that the Americans forced it on both countries, in their own interest.”

Guntz pointed out that there is no guarantee that Israel will receive royalties from Lebanon’s extraction of gas in the Qana gas field, as the agreement delineates. “There isn’t and can’t be an agreement between Lebanon and Israel that would prevent the French company from selling its holdings in the Lebanese reservoir and the rig [when it’s established] to another company. What will Israel do if the rig is sold to a Russian or Iranian company and it decides that it isn’t transferring royalties to Israel?”

He concluded by emphasizing that “Hezbollah is not a military organization, it’s mainly a money changer and launderer of Iranian money. In the last days of the Second Lebanon War, Israel bombed bunkers full of millions of dollar bills. Yes – Israel put pilots’ lives at risk in order to destroy money. Hezbollah also maintains control over Lebanese banks. To put give Hezbollah free access to funds – we agreed to billions as part of the deal – is unprecedented stupidity.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)